English Grammar vs Spoken English

Grammar is extremely important in any language. Nonetheless, it can sometime be a hindrance when learning to speak a language. When learning English (or any language) at school, there is a huge emphasis on the grammar and on the written word but not enough emphasis is placed on speech! Trying to learn hundreds of grammar rules and then learning how they are used is sometimes unnecessary and boring! It also means that most of the time is taken up in this way so it’s almost impossible to spend enough time on the spoken word.

I have personally spent days, weeks and months reading and studying and re-reading books on grammar. I have had a huge interest I in the English language since I was very young. I found out when I got older that reading all those books and studying for days didn’t really help me when it came to speaking English. I figured out that I actually only needed to learn a small percentage of the grammar rules to speak fluent English! When writing in English, grammar tends to be slightly more important than in the spoken word – and that’s probably why most people focus on improving grammar instead of improving their spoken English.

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Paraphrasing – A Brilliant Method Of Improving Your Spoken English!

On a daily basis, we all find ourselves in situations when we can’t find the correct word to say. You know what you want to say, but it just won’t come out! Many people refer to the phenomenon as being ‘tongue-tied’. For foreign English speakers, this problem can be even more pronounced. You might have heard some news or read an article in a newspaper, and you want to tell the story to others. The problem arises when you just can’t remember the news word-for-word.

Let’s look into the problem by using an example. The news on the previous evening announced:

- The president issued a warning to all opposing his bill.

You want to discuss the implications of the Presidents warning with your work colleagues, but you can’t remember the exact words. The solution is to PARAPHRASE the statement. Paraphrasing is defined as:

-verb: express the meaning of something using different words.

-noun: a rewording of a passage.

Therefore, if we paraphrase the statement above, it can be said in many different ways e.g.:

- The president issued a warning to those against his bill, or

-The President warned those opposing the bill.

All three statements convey the same message in different words. The statement has been somewhat simplified but does not lose its meaning! No one to whom you speak will correct you to say that’s not EXACTLY what they said on the news! No one will even notice that the words have been changed. Paraphrasing means you don’t have to be tongue-tied. You won’t have the feeling of knowing what you want to say, of having a word on the tip of your tongue, and not being able to say what you want.

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What’s Common Between Running and Speaking English?

I’m into running for nearly 3 years. Two, sometimes three times a week I’m doing a circuit of around 5 kilometers. And my loyal friend Roger – the mischievous beagle – is always doing the 5K with me. He’d do more; I’m sure, because when we run back home it’s me who’s out of breath – not him!

And the amazing thing about running that I wanted to share with you is exactly about what I just said – being out of breath!

You see, throughout all the years that I’ve been on the run, I was having issues. I was always having pain in my left side. You know, the kind of pain we’ve all had when having too much food and going for some exercise afterwards – be it swimming or running. But I was having the pain all the time – regardless the size of my last meal and how long ago I had it.

As a result, I was also having issues with stamina. Most of the times I could run quite fast and keep at my normal pace despite being in that constant, mild pain. However, on some occasions it would get so bad I could barely drag myself back home. A couple of times I nearly passed out – but I always put it down to a bad day or just said to myself – sure it’ll be OK next time!

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English Fluency Issue Explained

Hi Folks,

Today I found a blog post called How to deal with hesitation in speaking English. The website’s author has described the English fluency issue from a slightly different angle and has made the concept very understandable.

I really wish I wrote his article – it’s that good! In a few paragraphs he’s explaining why so many foreign English speakers are hesitating when speaking English. He also tells how to rebuild your English so that you can start speaking fluently. And by the way – it’s exactly what the English Harmony System 2.0 does!

Talk to you soon,

Robby

No Perfection When Mediocrity Is Required!

You’re a foreign English speaker. You’re speaking English with someone at work. You make a mistake – the wrong word in the wrong place or simply a slip of tongue. The very moment you catch yourself at it, it starts eating at you. You can’t just let it go because you’re very good at English and everything you say must be perfect. Your day is ruined because your colleagues have definitely noticed the mistake you’ve made and they’re laughing about you behind your back. You’re trying much harder to get everything right while still chatting, but as a result you start making even more mistakes!

Does this sound familiar to you? If so – you should definitely watch Episode #3 of my English Harmony video blog! In this video I’m discussing the following points:

Why making mistakes when speaking English is crucial to improve your spoken language;
Why native English speakers won’t even notice an occasional mistake you make;
Why you shouldn’t go for the other extreme – ignoring any English grammar rules and syntax and just keep blubbering away!

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